Fireworks
by kaylaaa7
Summary: What could've happened had they gone back to that slippery slope.


_I, unfortunately, don't own A Series of Unfortunate Events and all that jazz._

The piercing wind rushed through them, nearly knocking them off balance. The only parts of their bodies not on fire were those that had not yet become numb from their interminable, arduous journey. Arduous is a word here that means involving or requiring strenuous effort, or difficult and tiring, and oh how arduous their journey was; hours spent trying to get to a place they were once desperate to escape from. Folded over at the waist, lungs desperate to catch what little oxygen existed at these altitudes, she was pulled from the present time where she stood, fixed on the gleaming white versant. In the blink of an eye she was transported, remembering a moment that felt like it could have belonged in someone else's life—or a fictional story.

The young man standing nearby—equally plagued with dyspnea, a word which here means difficult or labored breathing—was careful to keep his distance but continued to look at his companion. His stare rested on her, yet she could pay him no attention. A furrowed brow and lines of tension carved themselves on her winsome face—a word meaning attractive or appealing in appearance or character. This tension was something of an anomaly for the young woman who never allowed whatever turmoil that was afflicting her at the time manifest physically. She had far too much practice in that art given how many years she has lived on this earth. She did not have the time to truly feel the profusion of emotions that were coursing through her for all those years.

_We were so young, so scared, so determined. _

Taking one last moment seven years in the past, a shiver brought her back to the present. Whether the shudder was from the cold or from what she was just reminded of, she could not tell the difference. Sensing his gaze laying steadily on her, she turned to face him; partially for his sake, but mostly for her own. After all this time, she still hated being the center of anyone's attention, much less his. Their eyes met, just physically a few feet apart, but mentally, they were miles away.

Trying to break the metaphorical ice, since they were partially surrounded by literal ice and breaking that would do either of them no good, she spoke for the first time since they reached the destination of their trek.

"Wow. We even took the easy way this time around. How am I this out of breath?" She paused, looking at the view, and nearly let herself get lost in her head again. A light laugh escaped her lips. He felt warmth flood through him, and none of it was due to the strenuous effort or the sun. "We really must have been in better shape when we were 14."

He turned to see the sun nearly blinding him, but it was nothing compared to her.

"It wasn't exactly our choice. A life on the lam will do that to you."

The phrase on the lam here means on the run, and that phrase is quite accurate to their lives in previous years. Their life now seemed tame compared to what it looked like when they were 14, but neither of the occupants on the mountain appeared to mind too much. Given everything they had been through, they could not decide which awed them more—the view the second time around, minus the impending doom and their constant need to keep moving, or the fact that they even found their way back to this spot—together, nonetheless. After a series of unfortunate events, they felt blessed to have these little moments together.

He reached out, grabbing her hand, and, as always, prayed she would not pull away.

She didn't.

She left him dizzy. No matter where she was or what she was doing, Violet was radiant. This young woman had taken up so much space in his mind, he was sometimes surprised he could remember his own name; he couldn't keep up with her. He doesn't think she had ever looked better in than she did in this moment—the pale landscape matched her skin; it was flawless as the sun began to set. She had taken his breath away since they were 14. His trouble catching his breath was only due in part to them being on top of a mountain; just like the last time they were here, together. He could not believe how much time had passed since that first moment.

It was his turn to fall back in time.

_It was like we were completely different people._

Violet noticed the vagueness in his eyes, knowing exactly where he was in time. Not wanting to lose any more time here, she knew she had to act. She knew him well enough to know what he needed, and at the moment, he needed her. Gently pulling on his hand, she led him slightly closer to the edge. He relaxed as he found his focus again, and his eyes met Violet's. His anchor.

She pulled a blanket from his pack and laid it on the glacial ground. As she found her spot on the blanket, she continued holding onto him. It was a necessity. He looked across the horizon one last time before settling on the blanket along with her, hands still touching. A deep breath passed between both of them before either of them gain the courage to speak. What a peculiarity this moment in time was. Peculiarity, a word here which technically means an odd or unusual feature or habit, but is better described by two friends who, on any normal day, would have no problems coming up with conversation; it usually flowed without struggle. But today, this place, made for quite the oddity for the two companions. Whether it be from tension or just finding words unnecessary in the moment, they did not know. He shifted his weight, moving closer towards her. The need for physical touch is not something they usually rely on, but this situation called for it.

Her gaze sat steady on the view in front of them. He gave her the moment he knew she desperately needed. A place can bring back a whirlwind of emotions, and this was certainly no exception. After a full breath and a pause, he moved his hand from hers, as he gently grazed his hand on her back—just to serve as a reminder that he was still here and that they were no longer _there. _

_Everything was so different._

These were the words that Violet could not get out of her head as she fully felt the place she was in and all the emotions that she had been holding off for so long, came rushing back. She looked over at the handsome man sitting next to her.

_Perhaps not everything._

She relaxed into his touch as his hand moved in a clement manner, grateful that he felt no need to speak currently. Him being there was enough.

Another pause passed between them before she finally gained the courage to find and use her voice once again.

"Can you believe it's been seven years?" Her voice sounded more gravely than normal, from not talking, from the cold, from her emotions—a combination that was hard to fathom for someone who didn't let their emotions manifest.

"Honestly?" He looked in her direction, gaging her reaction to his response. A simple nod of the head was all he received.

"Yes and no. Yes because of how much we had to go through to get to this moment, and lord knows we went through a lot. But no, because I cannot believe I have already spent seven years loving the most incredible person to walk the earth. And I still have a lovely view."

_Definitely not everything._

"Once a charmer, always a charmer. You do have a knack for making me blush on this slope," she gave a small laugh as she brushed the hair from her face. "I just cannot believe some of those tired lines still work on me. After all these years." She shook her head contentedly.

He shrugged with a grin on his face, knowing what was about to come. "If it ain't broke…" he began. He quickly found himself sideways after her reaction to that statement, most of which included just shoving him over and, hopefully, into some snow.

"Really?" She said, actually laughing this time. "That is still the best response you have? Consider me disappointed."

He smiled hearing that laugh, warming his core. He relaxed once again, aware that some of their own tension evaporated after that exchange.

"I cannot believe you just said the word 'ain't', if it can even be called a word."

"Oh Baudelaire, I see all those years with your nerdy brother have made you hypersensitive to the misuse of grammar."

"Oh Quagmire, I know that if you were to say that monstrosity of a word around your siblings, they too would have an issue with it."

"Damn, we really are the normal ones in our family, aren't we?"

She laughed again, and he could not stop looking as it lit up her face. She never used to laugh, not around him, or anyone really. What in life was there to really laugh at?

_Everything really had changed._

Catching her breath once more, he quickly averted his gaze. After all this time, he still did not want her to catch him staring. Which is harder than it sounds, given that he can barely keep his eyes off of her.

"Violet?"

"Hm?"

"What do you remember most about that day?"

That day was one that stuck out above the rest in Violet's memory. The small fight between her and Klaus, a discovery of a new ally, a hard climb, watching her sister grow up in a single moment, right before her eyes, feeling like a failure, making an escape, losing her newfound anchor…the moment on the ledge…

He could see the gears turn in her head—and no, that was not an intentional inventor pun, but sometimes life happens to work out that way. He did not know if he was prepared for the answer she was about to give and was happy to have another moment to collect himself.

"What didn't stick out about that day? The day I realized Sunny was not a baby anymore and I had to see the look of both recognition and resignation on Klaus' face? The look of almost disappointment, one that I didn't even recognize from him? My failure to save the innocent scouts? The escape we almost all made? Only to be separated again? The seemingly impossible climb? The warmth of a new friend and the first shared moments of many on a slippery slope?" She hadn't meant to go on like that, but it was about time one of them finally spoke about that day. It never came up. They willed it to never come up.

He admired her courage once again. Whether it is a seemingly impossible trek up a frozen waterfall, or sharing true feelings about a day years ago, Violet was always determined, and nothing would ever change that. "I remember the gleam in your eye, you were so resolute that day. Nothing was going to deter you from whatever you needed to accomplish. Which is why I couldn't not try that day."

She looked up at him, eyes imploring. Even though they were both there for the event, they never really spoke about it. Until today, there was no real need to. They both knew the other's feelings and for years, that was enough.

Her beautiful eyes made him pause; he had to take a moment to find his breath again, before the words started to pour out like they never had before.

_ The important parts hadn't changed._

"_We should rest. I see a ledge. It's not much further."_

_Pulling her up to sit on the ledge with him, they both take a much-needed breath. _

"_This ledge is solid. We should sit here for a moment to get our strength back."_

"_Good idea. You're an excellent climber."_

"_You're an excellent inventor."_

_They both pause, focusing a second on the breathing, as that was in fact the whole reason they decided to take the break. Or so one of them thought._

"_Thanks. But let's not celebrate yet. There's a long way to go."_

"_Celebrate when you're half done and the finish won't be quite as fun. My sister wrote that."_

"_Once we find Sunny, we'll search for Duncan and Isadora."_

_She could see a multitude of emotions pass over his face as she said that, moving from sorrow to hope to thankfulness knowing he was not alone with this situation, knowing he had help. They both slightly adjusted, her where she sat, and he, closer to her. As he moved, he knocked something off the slope._

"_Your glove!"_

"_We'll get it one the way down."_

_As she mentioned down, he happened to look in that direction, regretting that decision as his stomach turned. He may have been a great climber, but that does not mean that heights were something he genuinely enjoyed. Probably why he made such a great climber—the faster he went, the faster he was done. He sneaked a peak at his company to his right, his eyes following to where hers were looking._

"_If you have to hide a headquarters, it's a beautiful place to do it. It's a lovely view."_

"_Very lovely indeed."_

_Violet looked at Quigley, noting the way the voice was aimed at her. She assumed the phrase was as well. It was a simple moment, shared between two friends; friends bonded over fate that nobody should have to succumb to, yet at that time, their troubles didn't seem so large. Not when they were looking at the world around them, the mountain peaks and the slope below them, their dilemmas seemed into grow more insignificant the higher they climbed._

_She sensed movement next to her, and Quigley took her hand. The warmth, the feel of another person who understood her situation better than she probably did was more than nice. It felt necessary. He gazed at her again, his eyes searching for hers and she could feel the heat rise on her face, despite the cold._

_He moved his hand and brushed a stray piece of hair from her face. His gentle touch then followed the contours of her jawline until it met her chin. She could have pulled away. She knew what was coming._

_He prayed she wouldn't pull away._

_She didn't pull away._

_Their lips met._

"Fireworks."

"What?"

"Fireworks."

"Yeah, you already said that. Care to elaborate before I assume the meaning of the word in this context"

Her entire body shifted to her left as she gave him a look that said, "could you be any denser?" He would be lying if he said he didn't like that look just a little bit.

"Well, one of the most memorable parts of that day was the feelings of fireworks after you kissed me. That was the day I knew that something in my life was never going to be the same." She stopped talking, looking as though the next words were too painful, as if she needed another moment to process before she spoke them into existence. "That was also the day I thought I lost you again."

He smiled down at her, somewhat sadly. He understood what she was saying because those accurately mirrored his own perspective of that day. "That was the day I fell in love with you. Or, at least, knew that falling in love with you was more possible than I thought. That feeling has only grown with time."

His nerves had begun to get to him. She was pressed up against him, growing calmer with his heartbeat; ironic, since Quigley's heart rate just jumped immensely.

It was now or never.

_Something important was about to change._

"Vi? Could you move for a second?"

The use of the pet name shook her for a second; he rarely used that, despite what others

might think. "Sure Quig." She winked at him, smirking. She used his pet name even less than he did with her and she knew that using this pet name for him ticked him off more than any of the others. She was the only one that could get away with it. Scooting to her right a bit, she took another moment to stare at the view. The same view that sparked what she and Quigley shared that fateful day seven years ago, and the relationship they had shared since. The view really was stunning—despite what Quigley said, she could not believe that she was lovelier than the view.

She felt his warmth leave the blanket and assumed that he was grabbing something from their packs. Taking another second to think back at what they had been through, being separated more times than they could believe, finding each other again every single time. She thought of the irony in the fact that they couldn't find each other that last time because they were too busy searching for the other. She remembered listening on the other side of the door a little bit after they started dating and listening to Klaus play the role of protective brother, smiling to herself, knowing that two of the most important people in her life cared so deeply about her. She remembered that kiss, the blush that spread up his face when he looked at her, his smooth voice that would come to be such a source of comfort in her life…

_ Speaking of, he had been awfully quiet for far too long._

_ Nothing was ever going to be the same again._

"Violet, you are my everything. When I thought I had nothing, you showed me time and time again that that was never the case. You are my lighthouse in the storm and the happy thoughts in my nightmares. I have known that there was something special between us for seven years now and cannot wait another second. If we waited until we were ready—"

"—we'd be waiting the rest of our lives," she finished for him, stunned. She felt the tears trying to find a point of escape, and after years of holding them back, she knew she didn't need to this time.

He laughed, knowing that line would be one she finished for him. "That proves my point. You finish my sentences and help complete my world. I love you Violet Baudelaire. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

"Absolutely."

_Nothing about their relationship would ever be the same._

_ Maybe that is not a bad thing._

_ The slippery slope had found a much happier memory upon it._

_ And peace had been found within two people, with so much pain and grief, only to be _

_brought together once again by this beautiful view._

As she leaned in to kiss her now fiancé, Violet felt at peace.

After she kissed him, she pulled away slightly, his hands still firm around her waist and hers firm around his neck.

"What?" Quigley asked, wondering what could possibly be so important as to not be kissing currently.

Violet smiled up at him and said one simple word.

"Fireworks."

_AN: Wow, it really is weird to write a fic about characters I've known since I was 7, and writing about at 19. Sorry if the ending is awkward, it's hard to put these characters into a part of life that isn't depressing or so ridiculous. Let me know what ya think._


End file.
